Zhang Zuo heard that Chen Zhen would not see him until noon. Seeing that it was still early, he had to drink and eat meat with Zeng Ji. From time to time, they used words to challenge each other, hoping to find some useful information from the other party's answers. But Zeng Ji turned out to be watertight, causing Zhang Noi to return without success. On the other hand, Zeng Ji also continued to initiate new topics, hoping to find out Lord Xinling's views on the peace negotiations. Since this issue had not been discussed at all in advance, Zhang Ye's answers were ambiguous and sometimes even contradictory, which in turn aroused Zeng Ji's interest in further inquiry.
Pedestrians passing by on the road from time to time cast inquiring glances at the two people drinking in the pavilion: after all, there are not many people who can drink in the pavilion, and one of these two people is wearing a jacket and the other is wearing a long gown, neither of them looks like an aristocratic young man. Zeng Ji didn't seem to care about this, but Zhang Noi was a little worried that if he disguised himself as Zheng, if he fell into the eyes of interested people, there might be quite a disturbance. But when things came to pass, if he showed his guilty conscience, he would be further exploited by Zeng Ji, so he had to hide it carefully, and at the same time, his attitude was not obvious at all: Zeng Ji was a well-known ranger anyway, and as a retainer, he invited Zeng Ji on behalf of the family head. A drink is not out of line, as long as you don't let your true identity be recognized.
As the wine gradually ran out, the rising sun shone on my body, giving me a sense of warmth along with the strength of the wine. The two of them packed the dishes into the food box and spoke politely to the head of the pavilion. The two wanted to return the food boxes to the wine shop in person, but the director of the pavilion refused and asked them to just keep the food boxes. The two had no choice but to leave it to him.
Walking out, Zeng Ji seemed to be walking in front of him casually, and Zhang Yue was following behind easily. The two left the avenue one after the other and passed through a bamboo forest. A lake appeared in front of them, and three small huts were built on it. Beside the lake. The environment is quiet and quiet. Zhang Jue cheered: "How good, thatched cottage! Even an immortal can't get past it!"
Zeng Jidao: "My brother lives here. Only my brother knows about it. Please don't tell anyone!"
Zhang Noi said: "How dare you! I obey my brother's orders!"
Zeng Ji opened the fence door and let Zhang He into the hall. He took out some clothes from the back room and said, "I'm going to see Duke Chen. I'm a scholar. I'd like to change my clothes."
Zhang Ye opened it and looked at it. They were all dressed in Korean-style scholar attire, and said: "Brother Zeng is thoughtful and considerate, but I am not as good as my younger brother."
Zeng Jidao: "How could I know this in the middle of the night?" The two of them changed clothes face to face in the hall. Zhang Zou was afraid that Zeng Ji would be suspicious, so he deliberately took off the chest bag and placed it in the hall to show that he was not involved. Zeng Ji also stripped himself down to just a fig leaf and put on scholar's clothes. The changed clothes were packed into two bags and piled under the windows on both sides. It took a long time to comb my hair and change my clothes before I got dressed up.
Take the door out and go around to the back. There is a small bamboo raft tied to the lake. The two of them got on the bamboo raft one after another. Zeng Ji made a little pennies, and the bamboo raft left the lake, entered the Qinshui River, and went south along the river.
There were not many ships in the Qinshui River in late autumn, and Zeng Ji didn't do much maneuvering. He just let the boats go down the river. Zhang Ye stood beside him, chatting and admiring the scenery of Tianyuan on both sides of the bank. Twenty or thirty miles of water passed through the two people's relaxed conversation.
When the waterway suddenly became winding and wide, Zeng Ji found a secluded place to stop the boat and land on the shore, and tied up the bamboo raft. He straightened his clothes and walked onto the road without anyone paying attention.
Youshenmen is located at the intersection of Qin and Wei, and is protected by a winding river. The city wall also curves inward along the river here, naturally forming a fold, so that the city gate is protected by two walls. The closer you get to the city gate, the more people there are and the denser the buildings are. On the other side of the river is the pier of the commercial port, and along the pier are rows of warehouses.
Zeng Ji did not enter the city, but turned into a wine shop facing the water by the city gate. This wine shop is unique in that it is a two-story building. When the two of them went in, the bartender came up to them and said, "How many guests are there?"
Zeng Jidao: "The Linshui Pavilion was chosen by Zhongche yesterday."
The bartender responded: "Here! Your honor, please come forward." He led the two of them to a pavilion. The floor was covered with wooden boards and the seats were stacked under the window. The two took off their shoes outside the door and entered the pavilion. Opening the window and looking outside, you can see the busy waterway in full view, which is in perfect contrast to the tranquility of the Qinshui River just now. Zeng Jidao: "Mr. Chen is coming, brother, please wait for him!" Before he finished speaking, a voice came from the pavilion, saying: "I have arrived." A partition door opened, and a thin old man walked out of it. . Zeng Ji quickly introduced him: "That's Mr. Chen! It's Brother Zhang!" The two of them greeted each other. Zeng Ji laid out the table, and Mr. Chen took the host seat. He took the seat next and let Zhang Noi sit in the guest seat. Zhang Noi refused and said, "How dare you sit across from Mr. Chen!"
Chen Zhen said: "Young Master treats you as a guest, let alone a humble concubine! It's appropriate." Zeng Ji patted the floor, the bartender came in, and Zeng Ji ordered the wine to be served. The bartender bowed to answer. When he was young, a large dining table was brought up with five cauldrons and four guis, which were placed steamingly between the tables. Another smaller food table holds a pot of Four Lords and is placed next to the tripod. Although they are all made of tiles and pottery, they are exquisite and pleasing to the eye.
Zeng Ji waved the bartender away, opened the pot and poured the wine himself, and the three of them drank together. Zhang Ye also held the pot and poured wine for the two of them to express his gratitude. Finally, Chen Zhen held the pot as a thank you. Everyone goes around three times with wine and food, and the ceremony is completed. Everyone put down their jue.
Chen Zhen said: "I have heard the name of the young master for a long time, but I have no chance to meet him. I didn't expect to see Brother Zhang here!"
Zhang Noi said: "How dare you, young man! The young master has heard of Chen Gong's reputation and is very attracted to him!"
Chen Zhen said: "The connection between the minister and the young master is due to Brother Zhang and Brother Zeng."
Both of them said: "How dare you!"
Chen Zhen said: "Yesterday I heard that the young master visited my subordinates. I didn't dare to hide myself, so I asked Brother Zeng to invite me to meet him. However, if I have something to say, I can't gather in the hut, but I can use the wine shop to meet my brother for comfort. The hope of a lifetime!”
Zhang Noi said: "You have no status and disturbed Mr. Chen. I apologize for this!"
Chen Zhen said: "You and I are enemies, so why bother us! The young master and I have the same heart, and we are on the right track. Isn't it heaven?"
Zhang He said: "Young Master heard that the boy was disturbing Mr. Chen, and he felt very uneasy. But if I ever meet again, I will bow down to you again and again to express our sincerity!" After saying that, he left the table and bowed to Chen Xun three times, and Chen Xian went there. Three bows were returned at the table.
Zhang He said: "My Wei Dynasty offended Duke Chen, and Duke Chen punished him by heaven. He united with Qin and Han to attack Wei, and Wei Shen took the blame. If he can forgive me, I am willing to forgive him!"
Chen Zhen smiled when he heard this and said: "How virtuous do you dare to do such a rebellious thing! I have something to say, brother, listen to it!"
Zhang Zhe said: "I sincerely accept your teaching!"
Chen Zhen said: "Soldiers are murderous weapons; contenders are against virtue; generals are dead officials. Therefore, they are used as a last resort. When Qin attacked Wei, it was really a last resort. What? In the past, Wu Zi guarded the Xihe River and fought tirelessly. Invading Qin, several entered Xianyang. Since the princes became kings, Xi was the first to unite and gather all the people in the world to attack Qin. Why did Qin blame the princes and receive this punishment? Therefore, Zhang Yi joined forces with the world to bring peace to the world. Wei dismissed his prime minister and joined forces with him. Although he was defeated in repeated battles, he did not change his policy. Why? In the 20th year of King Qin's reign, the Five Kingdoms attacked Qin again. Qin's benevolent heart ceded territory to seek peace. King Qi After the Song Dynasty was destroyed, the whole world was fighting against it. Qin was the first righteous and the world followed. Wei was still insufficient, so he plotted against Qin when he attacked Qi. All of these things were the result of Wei backing up Qin. Other details are difficult to describe. Brother, let's talk about it, why did Qin and Wei suffer and deserve this punishment?"
Zhang Hearing this, he smiled bitterly and said: "When Chen Gong talked about the prime ministers of the five kingdoms, I was young and not as good as him. In the 20th year of King Qin's reign, this was the case. Qin destroyed dozens of our cities, and Wei had no choice but to unite and conquer. Protect each other. Before the troops could be exchanged, the King of Qin could only recover the land of the six kingdoms, so he naturally withdrew his troops. Why cede the land? In my humble opinion, Qin lost more than Wei to Wei, but Wei did not lose to Qin."
Chen Zhen said: "Qin and Wei have a solid marriage. Why do swordsmen and soldiers meet so far? Each has a grudge, but they actually retaliate against each other, and end up in Hu Di?"
Zhang He said: "When the king came to the throne, Qin invaded my border. It has only been two years since he came to the outskirts of the country. Wei does not know his crime, but he only hopes that the public will teach him!"
Chen Zhen said: "Qin entered the suburbs of Wei, not to attack Wei, but to protect itself. What? When Qin leaves Guandong, he must pass through Han and Wei, and Han is the east road. If Wei does not allow it, he will not be able to leave east. If he can get Lianheng , then the country will be close to each other and the people will protect each other, the world will be at peace, wives and children will not be looking at the door, and the soldiers will stop suffering from swords and soldiers, isn't it a wonderful thing!"
Zhang He said: "If Qin is even in power, why does it attack Wei with troops and wants to form an alliance under the city? Even though Wei is small, it does not dare to follow."
Chen Zhen said: "No, no, how can Qin do this? The soldiers who are attacking Qifeng want to disturb the king's ears and eyes, and they are also interested in seeing and hearing. Now that the troops are coming to Qifeng, they want to reach the king of Wei. The king of Wei gave him a favor and ordered Qin to do so. Just eat in Qifeng, Daliang and Zheng both provide food and fodder, don't be lazy."
Zhang He asked: "What do you mean? Daliang and Zheng both provide food and fodder?"
Chen Zhen smiled and said to Zeng Ji: "Brother Zhang is still ignorant of the current situation. Brother, you will know it if you watch it. There is a boat going to Qifeng again at night. Brother, you can go down on the boat to observe his situation. Tell the young master, To make a big plan."
Zhang Noi asked: "What's the big plan?"
Chen Zhen said: "Brother, if you know the truth, you will definitely know the plan. Why bother talking about it anymore."
Zhang Zuo was suspicious. Han Ziran provided the grain and fodder. Could it be that Daliang was also involved? So what happened to Lord Xinling's persistence in Huayang? But he didn't dare to think deeply, for fear that something wrong would be exposed in front of Chen Zhen, which would make the situation even more difficult. Chen Xun seemed to be convinced that Zhang Noi would make peace as long as he went to Qifeng at night to understand the actual situation. He no longer talked to him about the war between the two countries, but just kept in touch with him and greeted Lord Xinling to express his admiration.
Zhang Ye responded casually, still thinking about how to break the current situation. Suddenly he remembered something and said: "I heard that since King Shang's reform in Qin, there have been many prisoners in the wild, but there are few people who can work in the fields. The King of Qin is suffering from it, and many want to use troops."
Chen Zhen and Zeng Ji looked at each other, smiled at each other, and then said calmly: "It's true. Qin's law is strict, and small punishments are big. Therefore, there are hundreds of thousands of prisoners, but there are only a few people who work in the fields. Qin used farming to fight As a foundation, the tillers work on the fields, and the criminals go out to fight. If you gain military exploits and atone for your sins, you can become a people again and work on the fields."
Zhang He said: "The people I have confused are hundreds of thousands of prisoners, all of whom are strong and strong. Why can't they succeed in conquest?"
Chen Zhen said: "Qin's law is that if there is no meritorious service, there will be no merit. If there is no meritorious service, there will be no punishment. Although there are many industries, the most important thing is to fight."
